The weather forecast last week included rain and more rain, but somehow the sun managed to shine during Sultan's annual Veterans Day Ceremony.
Coordinated by members of the Sultan Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post No. 2554, a group of community volunteers and the city of Sultan, Sultan's fourth annual Veterans Day Ceremony took place 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at Sultan's All Veterans Memorial. After the ceremony, guests gathered at Sultan City Hall for refreshments and to peruse the display of military artifacts belonging to local veterans and the Sultan Museum.-áFlowers were donated to the event by Jennifer Wirt of Monroe Floral, who hand-crafted a red, white and blue wreath that was displayed at the ceremony.
Sgt. First Class Dave Sivewright and his wife, Christina, serve as the event co-chairs, after taking over its planning last year. Once the colors were posted by Sultan Cub Scout Troop 52, Dave Sivewright welcomed event attendees with a brief presentation.
Sivewright is known to many as the Highway 2 Freedom Runner, as he can be found frequently running along U.S. 2 with a four-foot by six-foot American flag. Sivewright has inspired numerous Sky Valley residents through his outreach activities, which have included many veteran-related speaking engagements and presentations at local schools. He does a "Freedom RunGÇ¥ at Sultan High School each year in conjunction with Veterans Day, giving students the opportunity to run with him around the Sultan High School track.
Sivewright thanked everybody for attending the event.
"When Frances Scott Key wrote the "Star Spangled Banner' almost 200 years ago, he called America the land of the free and the home of the brave,GÇ¥ Sivewright said. "Those words are as true today as they were then. Since the first shots at Lexington in Concord were fired, and our Revolutionary war began, American men and women have been answering the nation's call to duty. Today we honor them.GÇ¥
VFW Post Commander Chuck Donahue led the Pledge of Allegiance, and local pastor Aaron Day gave the invocation. Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick was the ceremony's first speaker.
"This is a time that we show our friends and family that have served in the military a sincere appreciation for their time,GÇ¥ Eslick said. "Who are those folks? Some of them are sitting right beside you, some of them are your neighbors, some of them are homeless. It doesn't matter what walk of life they have taken; it is time that we show them appreciation for all that they have done for us.GÇ¥
Eslick thanked ceremony contributors, and issued a special thanks to committee member Amie Beisel for the sunny weather.
"This is all about Amie praying to God that we would have sunshine today,GÇ¥ Eslick said. "And it's supposed to last until one, just so you know.GÇ¥
Washington Rep. Elizabeth Scott spoke next. Scott grew up in a military family; her father served in the military, as did two of her grandfathers. She was close with one grandfather, a colonel in the U.S. Army who passed away in 2012 at the age of 93. She never got to meet her other grandfather, as he was killed while serving in France during World War II.
"I just came to thank the veterans and your families for your sacrifice to protect the liberty that I and my children enjoy,GÇ¥ Scott said.
Scott has a unique and personal perspective on the topic of freedom, she said. When she was 23, Scott traveled to China to teach English as a second language, staying in the country for two years. She arrived shortly after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, during which Chinese troops killed and injured many unarmed civilians who were advocating for democracy.
"It was a crash course in liberty versus tyranny,GÇ¥ Scott said. "Those two years helped me better understand the rights that our constitution protects.GÇ¥
Scott said she honors all the sacrifices that veterans have made, and encouraged civilian attendees to stay vigilant and always seek to maintain and preserve their rights and liberties.
"I just want to thank all of you,GÇ¥ Scott said. "May God bless your families, may he give you healing and peace and may he protect your loved ones who are currently serving overseas, far from home.GÇ¥
Ann Seabott, a representative from U.S. Sen. Patty Murray's office, read a statement from congresswoman, who was unable to attend the event. Next, VFW Commander Chuck Donahue gave attendees an overview of the award-winning VFW Post No. 2554's recent accomplishments. Just three short years ago, Sultan VFW Post No. 2554 was nearly bankrupt after one of its members embezzled more than $90,000 from the organization's bank account.
Donahue and his wife, Judy, immediately went to work in an effort to save the post. They called an emergency meeting, inviting as many VFW members as they could find, asked for donations and never looked back. Now, Sultan's VFW Post 2554 boasts a robust membership that helped earn the post local and national honors. The post was honored two years in a row for its tri-annual newsletter, penned by Judy, and was also recognized as the District 1 Post of the Year, All State Post and All American Post.
The VFW also received an award for auxiliary member Christina Sivewright's American Flag project, which successfully lined Sultan's Main Street with American flags.
In July, the Donahues traveled to the National Convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Chuck was honored as an All American Post Commander. He was one of only 130 VFW commanders worldwide to be awarded All American Commander status.
"That's about as high as a post commander can go, so we're very proud of our accomplishments,GÇ¥ Chuck Donahue said. "We also received an award from the city of Sultan, in honor of all of our accomplishments, which we're very proud of too. I want to thank the city of Sultan.GÇ¥
Donahue served in the Army from 1966 through 1968, spending a year in Vietnam during that time. He talked about how beneficial his VFW involvement has been, in helping him come to terms with his combat experience and the way he was treated when he came home.
"I went for years trying to forget what I'd been through, and it was a pretty hard thing to deal with for a long time,GÇ¥ Donahue said. "I started to get involved with the VFW in 2007, and started to talk to other veterans. I got more involved with other vets, and became very proud of what I was doing to help in the community.GÇ¥
Former Sultan Mayor C.H. Rowe spoke about the origins of Sultan's All-Veterans Memorial Wall, which he helped spearhead in 2002. Rowe told attendees that soon they will need to install a new piece of granite, as the existing monuments have become completely filled with the names of veterans, both living and deceased.
In the 13 years since the monument was first installed, the price of granite has more than doubled, Rowe said.
"As people have their names put on there, they make donations to it, so we're going to have to ask for a bigger donation if possible,GÇ¥ Rowe said. "At the same time nobody gets turned down, regardless of what their financial situation is. If they want their name on there, we will have it on there.GÇ¥
Rowe will be doing some fundraising to support the monument in upcoming months.
Sultan Middle School student Katherine Johnson won one of the VFW's essay contests, which earned her the opportunity to read her essay during the event.
"So what does freedom mean to me? It means that I'm free, and that the possibilities are endless,GÇ¥ Johnson said. GÇ¥I'm glad that women in America have the same rights as men. I can drive, I can vote and I can join the military ' and follow the footsteps of my mother.GÇ¥
Monroe Police Sgt. Brian Johnston performed on the bagpipes, helping to open the ceremony, and treating guests to a moving rendition of "The Minstrel BoyGÇ¥ toward the end. A Monroe Police officer for 31 years, Johnston has served as the Sultan Veterans Day Ceremony piper for three years in a row. The ceremony was closed with Taps, performed by Sultan High School students Jewelia Meischke and Sarah Swift.
Although veterans come from all different walks of life, they share several fundamental qualities, Sivewright said during his closing statement. Qualities like courage, pride, determination, dedication to duty and integrity.
"All the qualities needed to serve a cause larger than oneself. Many of our veterans here didn't ask to leave their homes, to leave their families or to fight in distant battlefields. Some did not even volunteer; they were drafted,GÇ¥ Sivewright said. "They didn't go to war because they loved fighting; they were called to be part of something bigger than themselves. They were ordinary people who responded in extraordinary ways at extreme times.GÇ¥
Sivewright thanked everyone for attending the event.
"Service before self; three words that define every veteran and those serving today who have worn the uniform of our great nation. Each one of you has sacrificed,GÇ¥ Sivewright said. "From one veteran to another, thank you for that solemn commitment.GÇ¥
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